Reflections
by LastDayOfMagic
Summary: A one-shot based on a missed opportunity in The Originals S5 E12. Spoilers for the episode.


Elijah walked through the moonlit streets of Mystic Falls, tossing the remnants of the ice cream in a trash bin. His mind was full, and he was nearly oblivious to his surroundings. Hope's comment about Hayley was stuck on repeat. She was waiting for him, when he was ready. When his family could go on without him. It may have not been eternity together from the perspective he'd originally anticipated, but it was still forever with her.

He almost walked past the doctor's office without another thought, but the name on the window gave him pause. It served as another reminder as to how much time had passed around him. And as was their common practice, he and Elena had parted ways without a proper goodbye after their last encounter. Not that it was under ideal circumstances: Elena's humanity was off, Katherine snapped her neck, he and Katherine argued while she played with his mind (as Elena had predicted, no less). He had just always assumed he would see her again. But shortly thereafter he was breaking off any connection with Katherine in favor of his brother and by extension, Hayley and Hope.

He hadn't given much thought to Mystic Falls after he had relocated to New Orleans, save for passing tidbits of news from his brother. And that information usually involved Stefan Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett, or his brother's longstanding paramour, Caroline Forbes. Elijah remained embroiled in the day to day battles and struggles surrounding his family and their enemies. And then there was his recent seven-year timeout that he spent oblivious to the man and vampire he was before. He didn't have much time to ruminate on the inhabitants of Mystic Falls and their daily lives. Besides, if he had ever inquired about the status of the latest doppelgänger, his brother would have thought him mad.

But tonight he paused. Whether it was nostalgia or the desire for amends, he couldn't be certain. Regardless, it was a momentary opportunity - stop, or keep walking. He didn't know where he would end up after this, once his brother was consumed by the Hollow. He imagined decades spanning out ahead of him as his brother's handler, keeping him in check to protect the world at large. And Elijah didn't know if he would pass through again before the end of Elena's human lifetime. He didn't want to alarm her, but he could see the light on behind the pulled blinds. And her heartbeat faintly carried through the glass and heavy wood door, as did the scratch of pen on paper. She still had some pull on him.

He knocked on the door. The wheels of her chair squeaked and then he heard footsteps. Then the door opened, and he was greeted by the face he'd known for a millenium, but older than he had ever seen it. He did a quick calculation in his mind, figuring out that she had to be at least thirty now. Her age suited her, and he felt a sense of relief that she was still here. Her eyes widened briefly.

"Elijah," she said, surprised.

"Hello, Elena. May I come in?" She hesitated for a second, and he recalled how all of their previous visits involved some life or death matter. Despite how fond he was of her and she seemed of him, they hardly ever met under pleasant circumstances. "Nothing bad, I promise."

"Oh, good. Yes, come in." She opened the door, and he heard at that moment a second faint heartbeat coming from her swelled belly. She noticed his gaze focused on her abdomen after she had shut the door and she grinned. "Not what you were expecting, huh?"

"No, but I'm elated for you." And he truly was, as he broke out in an awestruck smile.

"Thank you!" She giggled. She rubbed her hands over her stomach, looking down lovingly. He was hit by a wave of nostalgia - both for what he'd intended his life with Tatia to be, as well as moments he had spent with Hayley while she was pregnant with Hope. "We just found out that it's a girl. Damon's losing his mind already."

They laughed together and he imagined the elder Salvatore's hands full with a daughter who had her mother's spirit and charisma. "Yes, but I'm certain he knows how blessed he is as well.

"Yeah, he doesn't take anything for granted. Not one wasted moment." Her smile took on a wistful note. "It's good to finally see you after all this time. I've wondered here and there."

"Yes, same here," he agreed. Somehow it was like nothing had changed and yet everything had. But it was a moment to cherish, one free of all expectations where they could just catch up.

"I heard from Caroline that your niece was here for school. She sounds very special."

His heart warmed at her acknowledgment of Hope, his family's greatest achievement despite her short life. "She really is. A beautiful, smart young woman... like her mother."

Elena smiled at the good-natured knock at Klaus's expense. "She's lucky to have you." She placed a hand on his arm. "And I'm glad that you have your family."

He stared at her for a speechless moment. Once again she had floored him with her compassion and her grace. His family had tormented her, and yet she wished them no ill will.

At that moment, his phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his suit jacket. A text from Caroline illuminated the screen: _You need to get here, now! Your brother is planning literal suicide and I can't reason with him._

Elena looked at him curiously. "Everything okay?"

He didn't want to worry her, as she had clearly built a full and content life outside of the supernatural. She didn't need the added burden of his problems, despite the fact that his brain was churning with what he needed to do. She had accomplished what he had hoped for her all those years ago. Against all odds, she was here and human. He wanted her to continue on as she had, assuming that he existed somewhere out there in the world.

He smiled. "Just fine." He took her hand but she gave him a warm smile and pulled him into an embrace.

"It was good to see you, Elijah," she murmured into his shoulder.

"You as well, Elena." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he pulled away. "Take care."

"Always," she promised.

He let himself out the door, a strange sense of peace washing over him. It finally felt like it was time. Life had come full circle, he'd protected and saved those he had loved over the years. And now he was ready for the ultimate sacrifice, salvation in his brother's name.

"I'm ready to claim that dance," he whispered, as much to himself as to Hayley somewhere in the ether.


End file.
